Humane Society Silicon Valley Honors Farrington Foundation
The Farrington Historical Foundation is a proud sponsor of the Humane Society Silicon Valley. In keeping with Dorothy Farrington’s bequest, the Foundation has supported the animal rescue and adoption work of this organization for many years. The Doggie Day Care room in the Humane Society’s Animal Community Center is named in honor of the Foundation and Mrs. Farrington. The following is excerpted from a press release announcing the debut of HSSV's new facility in March 2009.
In March, thousands of animal lovers and their canine companions turned out in droves to see our much-anticipated new Animal Community Center in Milpitas. We had expected about 1,000 people, but by the end of the day, we estimated that more than 6,000 people had toured our new facility.
People were awed by what they saw, many cried with joy when they saw the roomy cat condos, comfy dog habitats and deluxe rabbitat. Everywhere you went, people talked about how excited they were about the new center. Throughout the day, there were plenty of activities to keep guests engaged. People browsed specials in our Whole Pets store, found out how to become a volunteer, learned about our dog park, signed up for doggie daycare and training classes, and had a chance to make a video pledge to help animals in their community.
Attendees flocked to HSSV Veterinarian Dr. Julia Lewis to learn about our new veterinary hospital, which features a medical Learning Alcove for veterinary students and members of the public to view animal operations. Children swarmed into our Education Center to make animal balloons, participate in a scavenger hunt, and do arts and crafts. Outside, guests swapped pet stories and checked out the dog park. All the while, upbeat music played courtesy of KFOX radio and DJ Tim Jeffreys who talked with fans.
“It was a non-stop overwhelming day that exceeded our expectations,” says HSSV President Christine Benninger.
Our 48,000 square foot regional Animal Community Center is the first “green” animal center in the country to offer cage-less animal care and an adoption program with a full spectrum of pet and community services under one roof. Key programs and services include:
- Spay/neuter medical center
- Dog park and training center
- Doggie daycare, boarding, and grooming
- Veterinary hospital with a public viewing alcove
- Education center
- Community room
- Pet store
- Pet-friendly cafe
The cozy animal habitats feature colorful animal portraits donated by artists Ron Burns and Sonya Paz, and are decorated with comfortable bedding and chairs to simulate home environments. “We want to keep our shelter guests as comfortable as possible to reduce stress and enable real-world training opportunities with our animal behaviorists, staff, and volunteers,” says Beth Ward, HSSV vice president of animal and customer care.
“We want to make HSSV not only the best place to adopt a pet, but also the best place to learn about, engage with, and celebrate animals,” notes Benninger. “By offering services and education programs that support families with pets, we hope to create a new paradigm for animal welfare organizations that will help break the cycle of pet abandonment and neglect.”
Our goal is to facilitate up to 10,000 animal adoptions a year. We’re off to a great start with our new center, which offers a healthy, friendly, and comfortable environment for people and pets that we believe will change the way people view animals, treat animals, and live with animals.
We invite all Bay Area residents to visit our new Animal Community Center, located at 901 Ames Avenue in Milpitas. The center is near Milpitas Boulevard and Montague Expressway and is easily accessible from Highways 101 and 237 and Interstates 680 and 880.